


Save Me

by SpookyMiscreant



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Handfasting, M/M, Singer Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21881374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyMiscreant/pseuds/SpookyMiscreant
Summary: Peter's been weird lately and Stiles' has always been able to empathize better than most.he channels that empathy into his music and research.
Relationships: Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 16
Kudos: 170
Collections: Steter Secret Santa 2019





	Save Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Garbage_Shipper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garbage_Shipper/gifts).



> Happy holidays! I had a lot of hopes for this idea but they kind of fell down around me as December picked up speed and punched me in the face. That being said: I have more ideas for this au and will probably make this a series at some point. 
> 
> Thank you to our wonderful mod killjoywhatshername

Something was wrong with Peter. It was subtle and slow but Stiles noticed anyway. Perhaps it was his ADHD, anxiety, childhood traumas, or maybe even something as simple as just another personality quirk, but Stiles was very attuned to the people around him's body language. And Peter's was off. It was like watching a wrecking ball on a bungee cord. At one moment he was smashing into everyone and everything, the next he was snapping back into himself and pulling away.

The more Peter acted erratically, the more the pack accused him of things and generally avoided him. Soon Stiles was the only one willing to patrol with him. He had remained relatively unscathed when it came to Peter's snappish comments and growly nature, most likely because he was the only human. 

What had started as Stiles being the only to volunteer quickly became Stiles and Peter being ordered to run errands and complete tasks together all the time. As Peter started to relax minutely in someone's one on one, and not hostile, presence Stiles realized what was happening. Peter was either subconsciously being pushed out of the pack or pulling himself out of it. And as his bonds to the other dissolved the pack had turned on him further. 

Stiles had really grown to like Peter as an ally and friend and it would hurt them both if Stiles had to kill him again for going feral. The man had lived through so much trauma and pain he deserved to be safe and sane and in a pack that would protect him. 

Stiles found himself covering more sorrowful songs after that revelation. Each song filling him with the ache Peter probably felt. An ache for a home and a family, an ache for unconditional love. 

"Hey guys. This one's for my friend who's a little lost right now. I see you and I'm going to help you remember who you are. I promise." 

He strummed his guitar as he focused on that feeling and started to sing once more.

_ How do we have to do this again? _

_ I'll tell you how I'm feelin' _

_ And you're like a cryptomaniac _

_ We try and connect the dots and the facts _

_ How do we have to be here? _

_ 'Cause these hotels, I just can't relax _

_ The more I bend, the worse that I snap _

_ I feel like a goddamn maniac _

_ You sure you wanna do this now? _

_ 'Cause I mean it when I say that _

_ I don't understand _

_ And I mean it when I say that _

_ I'm not sure who I am _

Tears fell softly down Stiles' cheeks as the melody he'd created slowed and he was left with nothing but the depth of his own emotions. 

-

Something was wrong with Stiles. It was subtle and slow but Peter noticed anyway. Perhaps it was his anxiety, traumas, or maybe even something as simply as just another personality quirk but Peter was very attuned to the people around him's scent and emotional states. And Stiles' was off. 

The young man had started smelling confused and anxious more often a few weeks ago after Peter had snapped his teeth at Derek during an argument. 

He didn't understand why the pack was acting so annoying lately but he was sick and tired of it. He didn't have the energy to deal with their bullshit, he'd had a pain in his chest for the past month and it was growing worse by the day. Nothing he could find online or in his books had been able to tell him anything other than maybe he had a serious case of the Soon to be Dead. He refused to believe that. 

Since that moment Stiles had hovered anxiously by Peter at every chance, using his natural with and charm to draw the older man out of his mood. Soon the pack had given up on trying to act like respectable pups and just ignored Peter all together. Somehow that made him want to growl at them more than when they were annoying him. The only one he could count on to be normal and soothe his ache was Stiles, but the younger man had started smelling of distress and sorrow more often of late. 

And then Peter stumbled upon the boys YouTube page. It looked more like a diary than an entertainment page. Many of the videos dedicated to people or events. A lot of the new entries were dedicated to a friend that was lost. Peter didn't know who that could be if not an allegory for Stiles himself. And his heart broke as he listen to them. 

_ When, when I am down _

_ I lay my hands upon this ground _

_ For the thousandth time _

_ I call him in, his earth is mine _

_ Before I make the offering _

_ Remember all the faces that I've seen _

_ Now all the marks have settled on my skin _

_ From all the different places that I've been _

_ That I've been _

_ And I feel the light for the very first time _

_ Not anybody knows that I am lucky to be alive _

_ And I feel the light for the very first time _

_ Not anybody knows that I am lucky to be alive _

_ - _

"You're becoming an Omega." Stiles ripped the words out of his mind with the viciousness needed to speak a great fear out loud. 

Peter blinked at the book in his lap, the only sign of surprise on his face. Stiles watched, fear churning in his gut as Peter lifted his gaze to him. 

"What makes you think that?" His face was a mask, but Stiles saw the flash of strong emotion in his eyes. 

"Peter, think about your behavior the past few weeks. You've been erratic and are lashing out at everyone around you. You're flashing your eyes, growling, and showing fang more." Stiles reached forward slowly and gently brought Peter's hand away from the priceless book.

"Did you even notice your claws are out right now?" It came out as a whisper, though Stiles' eyes burned with the strength of his caring nature. 

Stiles watched Peter's jaw tick as he clenched and unclenched his teeth, no doubt thinking over all the signs he'd missed. 

"How?" The word slipped from his lips as if he hadn't meant to ask. 

"I don't know what started it or who drove the last wedge but I do know that it's getting worse. They can hardly tolerate you and you can't stand them." Stiles sighed, slumping onto the couch beside Peter. 

"And you've been stuck in the middle."

"I want to be in the middle. I want to bring you back into the pack, Peter." Stiles' hand gripped the other man's as he spoke with absolute sincerity. 

"Why?" Peter's face was more guarded in that moment than it had been in years and it broke Stiles' heart further. 

"Because you're smart, strong, cunning, and not only my ally, but also my friend." Stiles couldn't look into his eyes for fear of Peter seeing how hard Stiles was trying to hide his crush. 

"Stiles. Look at me, clever boy." Peter's hand gripped Stiles' chin, a ghost of that night on the lacrosse field. 

Once they were looking at each other again Peter sighed, "I don't think that's possible. I need you to accept that this is happening and is too late to save me. I'd rather go mad and die by Derek's hand again than leave him on his own ever again." 

Stiles shook his head, tears starting to well up in his eyes, "Peter I found I a way. Please hear me out." 

Peter sat back, assessing Stiles for a quiet moment. 

"What is it?"

"Handfa-"

"No."

Stiles blinked. He hadn't even been able to say the full word yet. Handfasting was a quick and easy way to bond a human or nonpack member to the pack. The pair would spend a year and a day linked with a powerful pack bond that would need extra tending and care, but after the allotted time the bond would either fade or they would choose to mate and keep it. Stiles couldn't see any reason why Peter would say no. 

"But Peter, it would save you!" 

The older man sat up, leaning forward into Stiles' face. 

"I will only say this once. I will not force you to endure that kind of bond because you fear for my sanity." 

"I want to do this, Peter." Stiles' breath ghosted over Peter's lips as both men realized how close they were. 

The older mans eyes flicked down to Stiles' mouth before he licked his lips with a quick flick of his tongue. Stiles swallowed and fought the urge to lick his own lips. 

"Why do you want to save me so much, Stiles?" His eyes were intense, flashing once into a supernatural shade of blue. 

Stiles took a moment to assess the situation and his options, a moment Peter took to place his hand on Stiles' knee. 

"You're important to me. I like you." Stiles did lick his lips this time, the intensity of the moment making him slightly nervous. 

"If we do this I would like to court you. I won't survive losing a bond to you, so please allow me to court you for our year and a day in the hope that you will accept my mating claim at the end." Peter caressed the side of Stiles' face, the tension leaving him in a rush of honesty. 

"I accept your offer and look forward to courting." The formal words spilling from his lips without a second thought. 

Peter closed the short distance, the hand on his cheek sliding through Stiles' hair as Peter held the back of his head. 

The kiss was sweet and had a depth of caring that startled both men. 

"We'll do the ceremony under the next full moon, sweetheart." 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!


End file.
